The news of layoffs and buyouts at Athabasca University is certainly unwelcome, though itís not entirely unexpected.
When the provincial budget was released and Albertans saw that it contained cuts in many areas (including education) it didnít take a math genius or political aficionado to surmise what was coming next. As departments and institutions struggled to work under their new budget limitations, positions held by real working people were going to be cut. That was the unfortunate word that came out of AU last week; 44 staffers laid off, another 35 bought out, and 34 empty positions eliminated (previously under a hiring freeze).
Disappointment, disenchantment and anger are all viable responses to the news, especially if you are directly impacted. The realities of the 2013 budget will certainly demand sacrifices from all Albertans.
